One year after the Fukushima disaster, nuclear energy remains essential and is growing in much of the world.

A year after the earthquake and tsunami, only two of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors are online.

Published on Sat Mar 10 2012

One year after a massive earthquake and tsunami led to nuclear disaster at Fukushima, Japan, many are ready to write off the nuclear industry. All but two of Japan’s reactors are shut down. Germany has shuttered its nuclear industry, while Italy, Belgium and Switzerland are phasing it out. “Nuclear energy: the dream that failed,” proclaims The Economist on the anniversary of Fukushima.

In fact, almost the opposite is true. Much of the world, particularly fast-growing Asia, is forging ahead with nuclear power as if Fukushima had never happened. More than 60 reactors are being built in 15 countries, according to the World Nuclear Association. Most are in China, Russia, India, South Korea and even Vietnam. “The majority of countries, after the initial emotion, are now engaged in a rational assessment of the pros and cons of nuclear,” says Pierre Gadonneix, chairman of the World Energy Council.

This is as it should be. Fukushima was a disaster, but a preventable one. Japan’s nuclear regulator failed to review key studies about the risks of a tsunami to the Fukushima reactors that were flooded. Tepco, the plant’s owner, made its own mistakes. It carried out studies demonstrating the possible effects of a tsunami, but did not follow up with preventative measures. The result: the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

The good news is that what is caused by human error can be fixed, if the proper steps are taken. “Had Tepco and the nuclear safety agency followed international standards and best practice, the Fukushima accident would have been prevented,” conclude two analysts with the nuclear safety program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. They knew what they needed to do — but just didn’t do it.

In Asia, the issue is an insatiable demand for energy. Countries like China are investing in nuclear because the alternative to keep their economies growing is yet more coal — along with the pollution, carbon emissions and deadly health effects that come with it. The real concern now is that spreading nuclear technology into many more countries may make it even harder to maintain high international standards for safety. If an advanced country like Japan can stumble so badly, what are the risks in Vietnam?

The International Atomic Energy Agency insists, one year after Fukushima, that nuclear power is safer than ever because of heightened security measures after Fukushima. In Ontario, the industry says it has taken steps to increase safety. They include standby generators, emergency generators and auxiliary generators — what Ontario Power Generation calls “a safety net of redundant power supply” to make sure that reactors hit by disaster can still be cooled.

It’s essential that Ontario’s industry take the lessons of Fukushima on board. We rely on nuclear for more than half our electricity, and there is no reasonable alternative to that supply in sight. Renewables like wind and solar have their own significant drawbacks, and are unlikely to contribute much more for years to come. For now, nuclear is key to keeping the lights on — even in the shadow of Fukushima.

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